> Treasurers worldwide need to change their operating model to sustain business growth

Treasurers worldwide need to change their operating model to sustain business growth

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London, 25 April 2012: Corporate treasurers need to make faster and more fundamental changes to their operating models to achieve business unit and firm-wide goals according to a report launched today by EY, Reflecting on the future. Over 100 treasurers were interviewed from large corporations in 14 countries for the study that found there were four fundamental operational issues that treasuries face with their current structures - monitoring of operational risk and lack of change in the risk management approach; efficiency of cash management; people development and recruitment challenges; and concerns about the return on investment in systems and technology.

Liquidity has become a key area of focus with 30% of treasurers noting cash forecasting accuracy as a liquidity risk management challenge, and a further 20% expressing concern about refinancing and access to funding.

Olivier Drion, EMEIA Head of Treasury Advisory, EY, said: “As “keeper of the company’s purse,” the treasury function has traditionally been involved with the general financial issues concerning the company. The financial crisis, its prolonged aftermath and the general shift to greater integration of business units and processes, has greatly enhanced this role and the capabilities of treasurers. Their concerns about liquidity are not being helped by the continued prevalence of inadequate cash forecasting mechanisms, decentralized payment arrangements and the continuing lack of transparency and access by treasury to business units’ cash. The irony is that, at a time when refinancing is proving difficult (40% of respondents have experienced this in the past 12 months), pockets of funds may exist across discrete areas of business that could be put to use as working capital by treasury”.

When asked about risk management and governance in general, financial risks dominated treasurers’ top concerns, and they thought this was unlikely to change in the next two years. A quarter of respondents had not made any recent changes to their overall risk management approach, despite acknowledging the lack of maturity of that approach. Additionally, operational risk did not feature in their concerns. The last finding is perhaps surprising given the role that operational risk management can play in identifying fraudulent activity.

Treasurers acknowledge the importance of key performance indicators (KPIs) for financial risk, but operational KPIs are still largely unused. Similarly, while a significant number of treasurers now use Credit Default Swap (CDS) spreads to measure the credit risk of their banks, credit ratings are still the preferred method. This is likely to continue. Additional work may be required to define an explicit firm wide risk appetite framework.

There are also sharp differences in the respondents’ views and their actions around technology. While the majority admit to being far from using leading practices, less than half of treasurers believe that technology and data quality improvements will help them achieve their desired future operating model.

Dimos Dimitriadis, Director, Treasury Advisory, EY, says, “The technology options available to treasurers are highly sophisticated, but our experience has demonstrated that, despite acknowledging their technology limitations, steps are rarely taken by treasurers to improve this area. Without a carefully articulated business case, the upfront investment and related upheaval of a system change can be off putting, but it can pay dividends in the medium to long term”.

The treasury function is not immune to the global, industry-wide challenge of acquiring talent. Over 60% of treasurers reported difficulty in recruiting over the last two years. It may simply be a case of demand exceeding supply. However, with fewer than 30% of treasurers rating their talent development programs as mature, they may need to consider new approaches to attracting talent.

Dimos Dimitriadis concludes, “Without a clearly defined target operating model that incorporates all of the areas; risk management, cash management, people, and technology, significant progress for treasury and broader business is unlikely to be realized. If these issues are not addressed in the near future, some treasurers may find it difficult to influence not only the direction of the treasury, but also the future direction of the company”.

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Notes to editors

About the studyThe study was conducted via face-to-face interviews with 101 treasurers of leading international companies, covering 14 countries and 21 industry sectors. The respondents are the treasurers of large corporations across a range of industries. The interviews took place over a period of four months in late 2011, by members of our global treasury advisory network.

About EYEY is a global leader in assurance, tax, transaction and advisory services. Worldwide, our 152,000 people are united by our shared values and an unwavering commitment to quality. We make a difference by helping our people, our clients and our wider communities achieve their potential.

EY refers to the global organization of member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients. For more information about our organization, please visit www.ey.com.

This news release has been issued by EYGM Limited, a member of the global EY organization that also does not provide any services to clients.

EY refers to the global organization, and may refer to one or more, of the member firms of Ernst & Young Global Limited, each of which is a separate legal entity. Ernst & Young Global Limited, a UK company limited by guarantee, does not provide services to clients.